For those who compete in such races as cycling and long distance running, the provision of liquids is not only important during the course but also presents problems in the provisions of liquids to compensate for the body liquids dispensed by the runners and cyclists during their races. The conventional systems for both categories of athletes is to provide cups of liquids at stations along the race course which are grasped and taken by the competitors. For the distance runners, the liquid supply is a open end cup which is quickly taken and cast aside. For cyclists, the problem is different. The cyclists attempt to maintain their speed by minimizing the slowing effect resulting from raising the upper torso to drink from the open end cup as do runners.
To minimize the effect on speed from raising the upper torso, various devices to replace the use of the open end cup have been developed.
The obvious initial improvement in providing the source of liquid replenishment was a plastic bottle clipped to the diagonal frame of a bicycle leading from the pedal hub to the handlebar hub. The bottle obviously had a cap for refilling and a nipple or outlet on the cap from which the cyclist could draw in the liquid. The bottle was held on the frame by a clip having one portion attached to the frame and an opposite portion with resilient arms or means which held the bottle by friction on the shape of the holder. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,441,638, 4,345,704 and 4,366,922 are excellent examples of the prior art. The bottle supply technique in the prior art yet required the cyclist to raise his torso. None of the art referred to included a tube leading into the bottle and terminating in the cap to permit the cyclist to siphon the liquid into his mouth while yet in a modified crouch position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,566 appears to be the only known art at this time which attempts to overcome the aforesaid shortcomings of the bottle/nipple art. This patent shows a supply bottle mounted on the bicycle frame bar between the pedal hub and the seat. A tube leads from the bottle to a rectangular box mounted on the bar between the seat and the handlebar hub. Inside the box the tube passes forward to a fixed pulley in the front end of the box, loops therearound and passes to the rear of the box where it passes around another pulley which is mounted in the box for slidable movement forward and return to the rear by biasing means connecting the rear of the box and the rear of the frame mounting the other pulley. To use this device, the cyclist grasps the end of the tube extending from the forward end of the box and pulls the tube forward. This motion pulls the rear mounted pulley forward to extend the tube. The cyclist holds the tube in this extended position by grasping the end with his teeth and then siphons the liquid in the bottle through the thus extended tube into his mouth. Once the tube end is in the cyclist's mouth he can resume his racing position. This patent requires the cyclist to momentarily lift one hand from the handlebars, pull the tube out from the box, grasp it with his teeth using the jaw muscles and then siphon the liquid. The distance the liquid must travel both vertically and horizontally plus the cumbersomeness of the device has not made it a popular item of use among cyclists.